Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Why are there shadows?


"As you walk through life, always walk toward the light, and the shadows of life will fall behind you. "
-Thomas S. Monson


Just this morning we were driving to school. The sun was lower in the sky, and the trees still full of leaves. The trees were casting many shadows across the street. My 6 year old son said, "Mom, why are there so many shadows?!" I simply said, "Because there is light. There has to be light for there to be a shadow."
After I said that, I started to think. We live in a world that has light, yet we also have many obstacles in life that give us shadows. There has to be both. 2 Nephi 2:11 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."
But we CHOOSE to see life in the shadows or life in light.

Our attitude about those large trees that block our view of the light can be hard to change. We will always have those trees, or trials. Big or small, giant red woods, or small saplings. 

I love the quote up above, "walk toward the light, and the shadows of life will fall behind you."
If we walk in the light of Christ, the harsh worldly shadows, or trials in our lives fade away.

I love the mountains and I love to walk through the forest on a sunny day. There is a large difference of feeling when you walk in the shadows of great pine trees and then walk in the brilliant light of the sun. The sunshine on your face and body gives you peace, comfort and warmth, while the shadows bring a cold and lonely sensation. 

Back to Connor's question. "Why are there so many shadows?" 
Simply, because when there is light in the world, there is also darkness.

We live in a beautiful time. We have the gospel here on the earth. We have the scriptures in our hands, we have spiritual enlightenment all around us if we seek it. We also live in perilous times. There is much darkness and bitterness in our world. Living amongst both of these opposites gives us a choice. Who are you? Are you one who lives in the shadows? Or are you one who chooses to live in the light?

We can choose if we want to live in the light of the Gospel, or in the darkness of the world around us.
Everyday is filled with hundreds of choices. And your choices make you, YOU. If you want to live in the light, step into the light. If you want to walk and dwell in your shadows, you choose that, no one chooses that for you. Only you can make those choices. 

There is an undeniable peace and comfort from living in the light. Reading your scriptures, praying daily, serving others, smiling, searching to help lift burdens of loved ones, asking for continued guidance in life and receiving those answers.  
One of my most favorite scriptures is 

Don't we all want to chase the darkness from us? Well the answer is simple. Live in the LIGHT and CONTINUE in the LIGHT! Live the truths you know and darkness will fall behind you! What a beautiful promise!
There will always be obstacles, trees, boulders, hills and mountains that come along our path. But while we chop down the trees, climb those mountains and struggle over the boulders we can keep our focus on the light. Keep your perspective bright. For nothing is impossible through Christ.










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